Police car crashed after tights used to hide blue lights
NYLON tights were used to mask the emergency blue lights on an unmarked police car involved in a crash, the police watchdog said yesterday.
An undercover police officer was seriously injured when a lorry moved into his path when his car’s flashing blue grille lights were on during a pursuit in North Wales in February.
An investigation found the nylon covers, designed to make it harder for the vehicle to be identified as a police car when the lights were off, “could not be ruled out as a contributory factor to the collision”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has now called for a standardised approach for covering lights after it found police forces were using various methods – including tights.
Its accident report stated: “It was found that there was a significant reduction in the light output with the nylon covers according to both the collision investigator and through tests carried out by a technical expert.
“They made it extremely difficult for the driver of the light goods vehicle to identify the vehicle behind as a police car responding to an incident.”
Catrin Evans, IOPC director for Wales, agreed a national policy was needed on modifying undercover police cars. “Any modifications ought to be tested and approved by experts rather than using ad hoc solutions that may not be the safest method.
“For the safety of police drivers and the public alike, testing would also help make sure that any coverings do not significantly limit the visibility of the emergency blue lights when turned on,” she added.
No members of the public were injured in the crash and the IOPC found no case to answer for any of the officers.